Nasty Headache
by Snowcouger
Summary: Kiba comes back from a mission to Suna with a pounding headache that refuses to go away. Naruto, not knowing this goes to find out why the usually goofy boy was acting so much like mister emoman Sasuke. Good thing too...
1. Chapter 1

"Please tell me we're done..." groaned Kiba as he walked down the seemingly unending hallway. He'd just returned from an unusually annoying mission to Suna. It's bad enough that he'd been forced to leave Akamaru behind, but then getting stuck escorting a stuck up noble kid around was stepping into the territory of cruel and unusual punishment. A massive migraine was all the thanks he got in return for suffering through the entire week.

"What's with you today?"

"I really want to go home, that's all."

"Right..." Shikamaru sighed, "Like I said, I really would have rather brought Choji instead of you, but Lady Tsunade forced me too."

"I know...And I don't really care. Can I go home now?"

"Sure, do whatever you want..." yawned the lazy Chunnin as he wondered of to who knows where.

"Thank you and good night..." mumbled Kiba as he exited the building and back into the blindingly bright noonday sun. "_Ugh...where's some clouds when you need um..."_ He essentially tuned out the outside world as he made his way all the way across town.

He'd gotten about three blocks from the admin building when he was stopped by Ino, "Hey Kiba!"

"_Kami, shoot me now,"_ he growled internally. "Hi Ino," flatly.

"When'd you get back?"

"Just now."

"Oh," she smiled brightly. "Well then, want to go grab a bite to eat or something? You must be hungry from the trip."

"Uh, no thanks. I'm not feeling all that well right now."

"Oh...okay then. Another time."

"Yeah, okay." He waved weakly and wondered off, cursing his innate ability to attract any and all annoyances he met. _"I don't even know why she tries..."_ he sighed, rubbing his temples. "_I've told her a hundred times to leave me alone..."_ He sighed and continued on his way home.

"Kiba!"

"_Kill me! Please!"_ He turned and saw Lee running up. "Hey Lee, what's going on?"

"I am glad that I ran into you. Several of us are going to grab some lunch at Ichiraku's. Would you care to join us?"

"Depends. Who's gunna be there?"

"Myself, Neji, and Naruto."

"I think I'll pass. I'm not sure I can take Naruto's cheerfulness right now."

"What is wrong? Are you feeling ill?"

"Sorta. It's nothing to worry about. I just need some rest."

"Oh, alright. Well then, I hope you feel better!"

"Thanks..." He turned and resumed his agonizing trek homeward. He walked for nearly a mile before someone else stopped him.

"Yo Kiba!"

"_Great, now the Jounin are here..."_ He turned and faced Kakashi, "Yeah?"

"Where you off too in such a hurry?"

"_What's it matter to you?"_ He blinked tiredly and replied, "Home. Why?"

"Well, I just got assigned a new mission and I could use a nose like yours..."

"Sorry...," he said, cutting of Kakashi midsentence. "...but I just finished a mission. I'm off for the next twenty-four hours."

"Oh," He looked disappointed. "Well then, I'll just go look for Neji then."

"He's at Ichiraku's with a bunch of the guys."

"Thanks Kiba!" He dissapeared in a puff of smoke.

"_Nutter..."_ He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "_Please God, let me get home before I go insane and kill someone."_ And of course, today was one of those days when prayers went not only unanswered, but were likely to backfire on you. See, there were two ways for Kiba to get home: a short way and a long way. Normally, he'd take the short way when he needed to get home fast or wasn't feeling well. Well, today was one of those days when getting home quick just wasn't going to happened any way he went about it. What he'd forgotten, and what was about to make his day truly a living hell, was that the short way home took him right in front of Ichiraku's bar. Normally, thats not a problem. But, in the short time since he'd been stopped by Kakashi, he'd already forgotten that all his friends were there. And they wanted him there too. He'd taken two steps past Ichiraku's when he heard the last thing he wanted too hear at that moment.

"Kiba!" came the chorus of shouts.

He tried to ignore them. Yeah, fat chance of ignoring these guys.

Naruto ran out and jumped in front of him. "Yo dog-boy! What took you so long to get here?"

"Back off Naruto," his voice the temperature of dry ice. "I am _so_ not in the mood for you right now."

"Awww come on! Don't be a wet blanket! Sit! Eat! Enjoy yourself! You just got back from a mission! It's time to celebrate!"

"Seriously Naruto. Not today. I'm really not in the mood."

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing. I just want to go home."

Naruto studied him closely, trying to see if he could figure out what was wrong. "You sure your okay?"

"Yes. I just need to get home."

He wasn't convinced, but he let him go anyway. "Thank you," sighed Kiba as he darted away.

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Naruto went back inside the bar, "What's wrong with him?"

"I do not know," said Lee, who'd been watching them. "He told me that he was not feeling very well."

"He is not ill," stated Neji matter-of-factly.

"How do you know?"

"He is not acting like one who is sick. He seems more depressed then sick. Although depression is technically a form of sickness," he added.

"I guess...?" He shrugged and returned to his ramen. "I'll prolly go and check up on him later. Ya know, see if he's feeling better."

"That is a good idea, Naruto."

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"_Finally!"_ came the sigh of relief when Kiba turned onto his street. He practically ran the last half a block to his front door. He shoved his door open and slammed it behind him. "_Blessed peace at last..."_ He collapsed on the couch without a second thought.

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He woke up a few hours later. The sun was setting and, and his empty stomach and dry throat were screaming for relief. The still groggy and achy boy got up and went to the fridge to get some water. Just as he was about to open the door, he finally noticed the note on the fridge,

_Kiba,_

_Since you couldn't take Akamaru with you, I'm gunna barrow him for a mission._

_See you in about a week._

It was dated the previous day. "_Awwww, and i was looking forward to seeing Akamaru again. Ahh well, at least I don't have to deal with his half hour bark fest welcome home ritual. I'm not sure my head can take it right now."_ He pulled out a half empty bottle of water. Sipping the cool liquid, he retreated to his couch. He channel surfed on mute for awhile. "_Hmmmm nada."_ He rubbed the back of his head. "_Damn...Why won't you stop aching..."_ He sighed stood up, intent on getting some aspirin He popped the lid off the bottle and sighed. He was out of aspirin, again. "_Great...There's no way in hell I'm going all the way back across town just to get more...Can this day get any worse?"_

Knock

Knock

Knock

"Obviously it can..." he grumbled as he went to answer the door. "What?"

"Hello to you to grouchy."

"Naruto, I am _sooooooooo_ not in the mood."

"What's wrong with you today?"

"I told you. I don't feel good."

"Yeah, and I think there's more to it than that." He slipped in past Kiba. "How sick do you feel?"

"You are not Sakura. Don't start acting like her." He sighed," I have a pounding headache. That's all."

"Uh-huh. And you're acting all downer and depressed because...?"

"I have a goddamn migraine idiot."

"Kiba," he said, totally unconvinced, "What's really wrong?"

"Oh for the love of... How many time do I have to say that I just have a headache?"

"I don't believe you."

"Obviously..." he sighed. "Here's a thought... how about you run down to the store and get me some aspirin... preferably the PM variety."

"Why PM?"

"Cause my freaking head is killing me and I want to sleep it off! What the hell do you think moron!?"

"Whoa there," said Naruto, raising his hands defensively. "Ya don't have ta yell at me."

"Well, you don't seem to listen to me when I do anything else, so what choice do I have?"

"Well, I'd be more inclined to believe you if you weren't all depressed looking."

"Sorry if I'm not the image of happiness you want me to be, but I just don't feel happy right now." 

"Okay... Is there any reason behind the massive headache?"

"You try escorting a noble brat around for a week with Shikamaru. Then try having to listen to Temari act distant and remote from Shikamaru when he's around, then have her bombard you with questions about him when he's not. On top of that, Kankurou's just broken up with his latest girlfriend, and decided that I made the perfect drinking buddy so he dragged me out every night the entire week. And then you have mister "I'm-too-quiet-to-actually-say-anything-but-I-honestly-don't-know-whether-I-like-you-or-not," giving me a mild "I-will-kill-you-slowly-and-painfully-if-you-screw-up," look every twenty minutes or so because he thinks I have a thing for his brother, which i don't, but refuses to listen to reason. And then having to escort the same brat of a nobles kid back here, all the while listening to both him and Shikamaru moan about how pointless the whole trip was."

"Ewwwww... I'd have a nasty headache after a week like that too." He sighed, "Well, at least now I'm sure that you're just not going emo on us."

"Oh god, I refuse to pull a Sasuke."

"Much to everyone's appreciation. One was bad enough."

"Got that right." He flinched as a particularity nasty wave of pain hit. "Ugh...so how about getting me some aspirin?"

"Dude, from the look of that grimace, you prolly need something stronger than OTC aspirin"

"Well, unless you have something stronger and are willing to share, I don't think I'm getting anything else."

"Yeah right. I don't even take pain-killers, remember?"

"You don't!? For real!? How the hell can you manage without them?"

"Easy, I don't think about it. And I find someplace to sleep it off as fast as possible."

"Tried that yesterday and it didn't work. Woke up hurting worse."

"That sucks."

"Royally."

"My suggestion to you, buy some Benadryl and take about four. You'll be out untill Sunday." 

"Yeah, I doubt very much they'd give me three days off."

"I could pull some strings for you."

"No thanks. I'm not the kind of person that can sleep for that long anyway."

"Neither am I."

Another nasty wave of pain. This time it went beyond the back of his head and radiated down his neck. "Ugh...I have to sit down. I can barely see straight."

"That's not good." He helped Kiba get back to the couch. "You're starting to look pale. I think you need to see a doctor."

"I'll be okay. I just need sleep."

"I don't know..."

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I just need to take some aspirin and sleep." He smiled weakly, trying to alive some of Naruto's worry. Too bad it looked more like a grimace than a smile. That only succeeded in worrying the boy more.

"Kiba, you're about two shades away from qualifying for the "palest ghost of the year" award. And you've taken on a distinctly green tinge too. You really need to see a doctor."

Kiba tried not to wince as another, stronger wave hit. It was getting so bad that his stomache was becoming unsettled. "I said don't worry about me..." was all he got out before his gut felt like it had slammed into his throat. Hard. He managed to hold back the bile that was pooling in the back of his mouth long enough to make it to the sink. He heaved up what little was left in his stomach. Naruto was up and running for the phone. Kiba finished heaving and slumped over the sink. He felt like all his strength was gone. Naruto slipped a supporting arm around Kiba's shoulders as he called for help. "It's okay Kiba," he said as he supported him. "Helps on the way." Kiba nodded weakly. "Shoulda listened to you..." he muttered after he rinsed out his mouth. Naruto smiled and help him back to the couch. Kiba was unconscious before his head hit the cushion.

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	2. Chapter 2

"It's a good thing you were there," said Sakura as she scribbled something on Kiba's chart. "Meningitis at his age... It's almost unheard of. And as healthy as he usually is, this has to be one hell of a nasty strain."

"But he'll be okay, right?"

"Yes, he should be fine in a few days. We've started him on high-dose antibiotics as a precaution. Of course, if it's viral meningitis they won't have any effect. We won't know for sure untill the morning."

"Isn't there any way to tell?"

"Yes, and we've already sent the specimens off for testing. But it takes time to pinpoint the exact infection, and it's best to treat it as soon as possible."

"I guess..." Naruto sighed and glanced into the room were Kiba was dozing. "Can't you give him anything to help him sleep better?"

"No. Unfortunately, it would be far to dangerous to give him tranquilizers right now. He's just going to have to tough it out on his own."

"That doesn't seem fair."

"It's not, but it's all we can do. If I give him tranquilizers and this bug is as nasty as i think it is, we may never be able to wake him back up. Something tells me this is more than your run-of-the-mill bout with meningitis."

"Oh..."

"I'm sorry Naruto. All we can really do now is give him supportive care and wait."

"I know, but it just doesn't feel right, not doing anything."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Cases like this are tough. You just have to wait and hope for the best. But Kiba's a fighter, and if there's anyone that can beat this, it's him."

Naruto nodded, "Can I sit with him?"

She shook her head, "Sorry, I can't allow you in there right now. I've got him in quarantine untill we can determine with the hell the strain of infection he has. We can't run the risk of it spreading."

"But I was with him for nearly half an hour before he collapsed. Couldn't I be infected too?"

"It's unlikely. You have a much stronger immune system than most people, even without Kyuubi's healing powers. If you want, I can test you too, just to be sure. But if I test you, I'll have to quarantine you too."

"So I can sit in the room with Kiba?"

"No, different room. Can't risk exposing you to it if you don't already have it. If you come back positive, or you pass out like he did, I'll have them move you into the same room."

"Oh...I can live with that."

Sakura motioned toward the nurses station for the level and Naruto sat down. "I'll just take a blood sample," she said as she retrieved a sterile needle and specimen tubes. "While I do this, how about you tell me who you can think of that's been in contact with him today."

"Let's see...Lee and Neji were with me at Ichiraku's when he came by... but I don't think he was there long enough for them to be in danger... He was on a mission with Shikamaru and some noble's kid... you'd prolly have to check them... " he winced as the needle bit into his arm, "Kami that hurts!"

"Baby," smiled the pink-haired medic nin, "Keep going."

"Ummm... I don't know... Kakashi popped up a few minutes before Kiba did saying something about Needing Neji for a mission since Kiba was off...I guess he'd run into him before..." He squinted and thought. "Hmmmmmmmmmm... that all I can think of."

"Well, that's a start anyway. I'll get in tough with them and have them come in for tests." She finished drawing the blood and slid the needle out of Naruto's arm. "All done."

"Geeze... drew enough to fill a blood bank, don'tcha think?"

"Quit complaining. At least it wasn't a lumbar puncture."

"Say wha'...?"

"Spinal tap."

"Oh..."

"It's extremely uncomfortable. Some even say its downright painful."

"_Ohhhhhhhh..._"

"Anyway, follow me to the quarantine area and we'll get you set up."

"Yay, I get to sit in a small room and flip channels forever. Hospitals are so much fun," he chided, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"The grass is always greener, they always say."

"Uh-huh," he grunted as the nurse handed him a standard issue hospital smock.

"Whoopy-do, I just _love _these things."

"Well, if you're lucky, and I can't believe I'm saying this, you're test result with come back soon and you can move in with Kiba."

"You make it sound like I'm moving in with him for real," he grinned.

"Sorry, can't really phrase it any other way."

"Whatever... Just point me to the remote and leave me to my channel surfing."

"Lazy-ass," sighed Sakura as she left to check on the unconscious boy next door.

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"Anything new over here?"

"Sorry Sakura, no change."

"Great... When was his last dose?"

"Only about three hours ago," replied the nurse.

"Well, start readying the next dosage." She picked up his chart and checked his vitals over the past few hours. "Any word on the lab tests?"

"No ma'am. They say they're working as fast as they can."

"Alright. Keep me apprised." She sighed, "Time to go to Tsunade-sama."

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"And this concerns me, why, exactly?"

"Oh come on! Meningitis at his age!? And a strain that's this severe and works this quickly? This is more than just a minor little outbreak!"

"Sakura, it's only one case. Come back when you find someone else that's got it."

Knock on the door.

Messenger from the hospital walks in, bows, and moves to Sakura.

Whispered message.

She sighs and smiles a bitter smile as the messenger again bows and leaves.

"Well, looks like we have a second case. Naruto Uzumaki just collapsed in his room. And the results are back on Kiba." She paused and slumped into a chair. "You are not gunna like this..."

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Quarantine protocols were quickly engaged. Everyone that Kiba had come in contact with since his return to the village was quickly rounded up and tested. A messenger hawk was on it's way to Suna with the news and recommendations that they engage their protocols as well.

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"Well, you got your wish," sighed Sakura as she hung the IV bag's containing the medicines that were the best hope of keeping them alive. "Too bad you were just as susceptible to the bug as he was." She reached up to brush a bead of sweat off her brow and readjust her face mask.

Tsunade entered the room and sighed, relieved. "Well, test results are back on Neji and Kakashi. They're clear. Still waiting on Lee though. Ino just showed up a few minutes ago with a nasty looking rash all over her neck and upper body, so we've got her under supervision for now. There haven't been any reports from the general public yet, but it could just be a matter of time. And I really hope I'm wrong about that."

"And word from Gaara?"

"He and Temari are being tested as we speak. Kankuro's been unconscious in the hospital since last night."

"This is bad... If it spreads farther..."

"This could be bigger than the Influenza pandemic a hundred years ago, I know."

"Have we figured out exactly what this thing is yet?"

"As far as any of the techs can tell, it's some variation of a common strain of the staphylococcus bacteria."

"Not the drug-resistant one I hope."

"They aren't sure yet. We'll know more as soon as the cultures are finished."

Very colorful stream of expletives.

"Yeah, I was thinking along those lines," nodded Tsunade.

"Huh-boy," sighed Sakura as she rubbed her soar eyes. "It's gunna be a long week."

"Got that right."

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"Lady Tsunade!" yelled the messenger as he ran into the room. "Word from the Kazekage!"

"Give it here!" she yelled back and grabbed the sealed container. She broke it open and slid out the messege. She read furiously, hoping against hope for good news. Sakura stood a few feet away, fighting the urge to peek over Tsunade's shoulder. Tsunade sighed in relief. "Gaara-sama and Temari are clean. They haven't had anyone come in with any symptoms yet either. Kankuro is still unconscious, but he's stable for now."

"That's great!"

"Yes, but..." she groaned as she read the rest of the messege. "Their techs confirmed it. It's the drug-resistant strain. Naruto, Kiba, and Ino just got bumped to top priority. No one in or out without my approval. This entire area is now on lockdown." She turned to one of the nurses, "Get on the intercom. Everyone that's been in contact with the three of them is to be tested and quarantined untill further notice. I do NOT want this thing spreading!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

She turned back to Sakura. "You know what this means."

The girl nodded. "I'll tell Mrs. Inuzuka. What about Iruka?"

"Leave him and Ino's family to me."

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	3. Chapter 3

"He's _where!?!"_

"In an isolation ward of the hospital," confirmed Tsunade.

"Why?"

"It's complicated..." She paused to think. "You've heard of that new strain of staph, correct?"

"That drug-resistant one?"

"Yes."

Iruka blanched, "He's got it?"

"We suspect so. We're running the test right now. But it's been confirmed that Kiba has been in contact with it, and Naruto was with him for some time before he collapsed." She glanced at her watch. "In fact, the test result should be in shortly. We can check when we get there. I'm going to have to bring you in for testing. You're the only one that's had much contact with Naruto that we haven't already brought in. If in fact Naruto contracted the infection from Kiba, then you will test clean. If not..."

Iruka went from slightly pale to near transparent.

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"God I hate needles..." groaned Iruka as Sakura drew his blood.

"So you're the one that taught Naruto to hate needles," she joked as she labeled the vials and sent them off. "Anyway, you'll have to hang around for at least an hour," she continued as she pressed a cotton ball to the puncture hole. "Lift your arm and press down." She turned around and scribbled something on the lab order. "Okay, go up to the next floor and tell them you're there to see Naruto. Tsunade-sama's given you clearance to be in the quarantine zone."

"Isn't that dangerous if I'm not already infected?"

"Not really. As long as you don't have any cuts or anything and you don't get too close, you should be fine. And anyway, they'll give you a mask, gown, and gloves before letting you into the zone."

Iruka nodded. "I just hope that Naruto and Kiba will be alright."

"I highly doubt anyone as strong as Naruto or Kiba could be killed by a staph infection. Their both far to strong."

"How about Ino? Is there any word on her?"

"Last I heard, they'd started her on high dose antibiotics as a precaution. She was lucky though; we caught it before the infection got into her blood stream. She'll be the first one up and out. And anyway, we're not even sure she has the MRSA strain."

"Oh, well that's good."

"Go see Naruto already. He's gunna need you to get through this."

Iruka nodded and left the room.

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"Iruka Umino?" repeated the charge nurse.

"Yes. I'm here to see Naruto."

The nurse stood up and motioned toward a guarded door. "Through here." He followed her to the door and she flashed her ID. The guard nodded and unlocked the door. She stepped past through and nodded to the guard inside. Iruka tagged closely behind. They walked a little way untill they reached the entrance to the ward. "You will have to wear a mask to proceed any farther," she said and reached into the small box set on the counter of the nurses station off to their left. She handed him the mask and he tied it on. "Once inside they will give you gloves and a gown. Then you'll be allowed to enter the room with Naruto." Iruka nodded and she opened the door. He stepped inside and was momentarily blinded by the bright lights.

"Ahhhhh Iruka, you've arrived." Tsunade was standing a few feet away with a chart in her hand. "I was starting to think that Sakura was going to keep you forever."

"Well, she took enough blood to feed a cave full of vampire bats untill next year."

"She always over does it," she sighed. "Anyway, one of the nurse will bring you your personal gown and gloves. You are not to take them off again untill while still in this area. That is, unless they are torn or splashed with something. But that isn't very likely."

"Good, I'd like to stay healthy as long as possible."

"And we'd very much like you to stay healthy. We honestly can't handle a full blown outbreak of MRSA staph infections."

Iruka took the gown and gloves he was offered and donned them quickly. "So can I see Naruto now?"

"In a few moments. The infectious contagion specialist is in there right now checking them over."

"Oh..." He walked up to the glass partition. "You said something before about the test results?"

"Yes, I just now received them," she nodded at the chart she had been reading as he entered. "We'd already confirmed that Kiba had the MRSA strain. Naruto's testing came back positive." She sighed, "What I don't understand is how Naruto was affected so quickly. Kiba's results came back saying that he'd been infected for over two weeks. Essentially, he was infected while in Suna, and it just now caught up with him. Now Naruto...he's a bit of an oddity. As far as we can tell, he was only infected this afternoon when Kiba returned. Why Naruto succumbed so quickly is a complete mystery. And beyond that, the fact that Naruto was affected at all is disconcerting. His immune system is super-efficient, and therefore he should have been able to destroy the bug without any ill effects. And yet here he is...infected less than twelve hours ago and laying in bed, unconscious and running a high fever. It defies everything we know about how the bacteria works."

"Is he unconscious because of the fever?"

"I'm not sure. His fever isn't dangerously high, not yet anyway. His temperature's gone up a little over the last hour."

"What's it at?"

She glanced at his chart. "It was 104.7 about ten minutes ago. Like I said, it's very high, but not quiet into the dangerous zone. We're checking it every half hour now to be safe."

"Is there any way to know when he'll wake up?"

"No. All we can do now is keep him on the antibiotics and give him supportive care. It's a waiting game from now on."

"Damn it...I wish I could do something. Just standing here waiting is going to drive me insane."

"Welcome to my world. Doctors spend a good chunk of time standing around waiting. There's a reason why we make sure all medical core applicants are tested for patience before their trained. This job can drive you mad if you don't have the right temperament." She sighed and opened the door to the room.

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End file.
